Manufacture of zinc.



0. LOISEAU.

MAN'CTUBE 0F ZINC. Y

urnloulox fum JUNE 11. 190s.

' Patented Feb. 1,1910.

oscar. Loiseau, or serezerrmux, enterar;

Parana* ocasion.,

EANUFACTUBE OI ZINC.

Snecieation of Letters Estant.`

Application med June 1T, 190. Serial Ifo. 439,045.

To all it may concern:

` Be it known that I, OSCAR Loiseau, a subject of the King of Belgium, residing in Sclaigneaux, Province of Liege, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in the Manufacture oi' Zinc; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the 'accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereomwhich form a part of this specification. i

This invention relates to a processior producing zinc or other metals whose ores 'require -similar treatment by the reduction of the oxidized ores by means of carbon inonoxid gas in a practically pure state not mixed With nitrogen, acting directly at the temperature necessary to obtain the reduction required under good conditions.

It is Well known to metallurgists that the temperature required for the reduction of zinc ore1 is very high, in the neighborhood of -1400C., and that this temperature cannot be produced by ordinary means, as in aI blast furnace. The process herein described relates to the reduction ot ores requiring this high temperature by means of carbon monoxid generated as hereinafter described at a temperature slightly above that at which the ore is to he reduced, the gas being applieddirectly to the ore, so that the heat y generated by the manufacture of the gas serves to heat the or'e for the purpose of reducing it.

The gas employed may be produced by the blotting over incandescent, coke or anthracite of a mixture of oxygen and carbonio acid, the proportion of this latter gas in the mixture being the less the higher 'the temperature of the carbon monoxid gas to be produced. This reducing ga-s may also be obtained in any way provided that it is practically pure, is free from nitrogen and 1s of the required temperature.

The carbonio oxid at the temperature re- ?uired for the reduction is sent into a reractory chamber of any form containing a mixture of oxidized ores and carbon. The

reduction of the ores is carried out accordin to the usual reductions, the role of the re ucing carbon in the mixture being to transform immediately into carbon monoid the carbonio acid derived from the reduction of the ore, hat, in consequence o! a. better impregnation of the ore by 'the reduca gas, the reduction can be more rapid and more complete so that the duration of the operation may be diminished and as by the direct action of this gas, actin by its own heat. the use of all the old erna l ap aratus, distillations in closed vessels, heateexteriorly is done away with great masses of ore can be reduced in a much more simple and rapid manner. This mode of manufacture of zinc allows of the use of' mechanical means for the manipulation of the materials to be treated by doing away with cmcibles and inutiles.

It goes without saying that,- the'niode of'.

carrying out this process may vary according` to circumstances, the quantities .01EY ore to be treated etc.

The drawing appended to the' present specification represents diagrammtically an installation of this process in the case u'bere the reducing gas is generated in a gas generator isolated from the chamber where the reduction of the ore is eected.

The ore mixed with carbon isv laced in a refractory chamber1 sup rt carriage 2. The carriage alows't to be brought between the gas generator 3, which produces the het reducipg as, and the con- 'Ldensing apparatus 4, suitab e to bring about:

upon a n `the condensation of the greatest possible' quantity of zinc vapor to the liquid state. rlhis condensin apparatus is 'connected to metal pipes 5, ille office of which is to precipitate the last. traces of zinc and to oonductl the carbon monoxid gas, issuing from the apparatus into a hydraulic main 6 arranged so as to collect the carbon monoxid gas and keep up a fixed pressure in the whole of the apparatus. W'hen the charge contained in the chamber 1 is reduced it 1s withdrawn, by removing the carriage 2 and replacing it by another similar apparatus charged with fresh ore, which may have been previously heated or not.

It. 'is obvious that it 'will be necessary Vthat all suitable means be employed to insure that the joint between the ends of the chamber 1 and the gas generator 3 on the one hand and the condenser 4 on the other.

carriage 7 moving at rig t angles to the Il f-f carriage 2 and by allowing a certain amount of play on the supports ofthe carriage 2 so that when the chamber l is in place the l movement toward Ehe right of the gas generator 3 will close the openings S :nid 9.

The clnnnhi'r l in whim the rvnct'ion,-f tnltc pince might his arranged in :my wary; it miggfhty for ,'xn'iple biii-i-linfd ur vri-tieni. lt would :ihn he l\':\ni:i;tnn; t= impart :i Cnntinnmw rotary nintinn'tn it m :is tu :issi t die nvtion of mntzn't.

i l l 2. A process for the reduction of zinc ore which ennsits in blowing oxygen mixed with earhunic :leid ever ore mixed with emilion-. 0 that the reduction of the ore is etici-,ted hy the :ictiun nl' cnrhnn monoxid in :i nnri: :lute :ind nzment eunditinn.

lt .shunld ne nini-d lli-.at thtl gris collected in the hydraulic nnxizi ti will he cin-hun mw hy the gus generntnr l hy it lower temperatnre :ind h i the prut-nvt utf eriziin impuritie .iiliwd funn llii tl'vaitnnwil; of lin: un; :1nd the enrhnn. 'l`hi gan. 'titer being purified if iiei-enrj,'. will he utilized in :my ninnner. it might liit'ewiv. hy menn; nl' pre riens rehvnting liv mixed with the redntzing gw prvfhn-wl hy tinx im.; 11cm-mlm'.

lndtzid nf'genernting the t-.irlmn innnoxit; depiiwd nt' uitingen :it the tempt-rature required in :in apparati indvpemh-nt uf the retirar-tory ehxxmher wherein the reduction of the uri' i ethuled. it muy he prndiiced in the said vitamin-r directly hy blowing nxygen mixed with cnrhinaii :wid nver :1 mixture in detinit anni nliizient prnpnrtions nf woke or ainhrzu'itt4 with the m'ri that the rvdnfztion .l

of the hitler i: eth1-ted in thtA muss directly honig :wid through n muss nf by the xvii-in nl' the irnrlinn innnuxid in :i j

prneiitfnllj. Vitre :etnie haring x'yl'ei'einfe par ticnhirly in leem-u of nitrogen :in-d. 1n the mine-ent, .wizdniun whleh wnnld reprikent in the mir-' sim lliinrin thi` realization nr' the i l prnw if n'. the new prneees.

l, ilvihed ni ninnnizivtnre of inc in which il, A primer-.s {nr the reduction of zinc und other ore haring :i similar temperature nf rwln--tinn which cnnsids in generating -nh t=eietinlly purtcnrhnn n nnumid :it :i high temperature :ind applying the gus dirvi-ily In the nrc, whuz'chy lim' lient for redneingj the (we is h-rired i'rnin the chemical :n'tiun whit-h :meurs in multim;r the carbon mnnnxid.

4. A\ prouefor the rednetiun of zinc :ind othvr nrt-s haring :i `Qiinihir temperature of redni'tinn whiih enn i is in pn ing Sul)- .-i';inii;illy pure nxygen and t-.nrhnnie acid in ennuh-t with :i nuns. of incnndewvnt e:ir hun und :ippl \'in; r the resultingi gus directly :n the ore. the hntsr heilig mixed with n 1e dneing argent'. thiprnportinn nf carbonio :wid living rnried tn gire the desired tenipernturi' uf rifdluftinn.

I. .v\ prove# i'nr the reduction of iini: eres which en|isi. t in applying to the oril mixed with enrhnn :i pure nxid nf carbon obtained hy passing n mixture of oxygen und cnrincandescent rnrhnn :ind in snrh n proportion that the mld ni Carbon obtained will be :it :i tempvrzitnrtni' :ibunt 15003 C.. so that it cnn am cnntinnonsly i0 rvdnre the. nre without exterior hentinfr.

ln testimony that I chiirn the foregoing :is my invention, l have signed my nume in preferir-e, nf twn snhfcrihing witnesses.

USCAR LOJSEAU.

Witnesses GEoriGEs VAXDER HAEGHEN, LEONARD LEVA. 

